Politics are no fleeting fancy for UFC on Versus 5's Chris Lytle

http://mmajunkie.comThe year 2012 could be an important one for Chris Lytle whether he wins or loses his next fight.

The Indianapolis-area native has been training and fighting for 12 years in addition to holding down a full-time job as a firefighter.

But he’s recently seized upon an another passion, that of politics, and he’s serious about the idea of becoming a state legislator.

This past month, Lytle (30-18-5 MMA, 9-10 UFC) announced that he’s formed an exploratory committee ahead of a possible State Senate run in District 28 or a State House run in District 53. And as he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) during a media call in support of his headlining fight with Dan Hardy (23-9 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at UFC on Versus 5, his move is not a lark.

“It’s kind of something that’s important to me and something I’ve been looking into for a long time,” Lytle said. “I don’t just jump into something on a whim. I’ve thought about this. I care about the area I live in. I’d like to help out and try and make a difference if possible.

“So I guess after the fight, I’m going to have to reevaluate and see what I want to do.”

First up is fighting, which in this case takes place Aug. 14 at Milwaukee’s Bradley Center. The night’s main card, including Lytle vs. Hardy, airs live on Versus.

One question about his plan is whether improving fortunes inside the octagon would keep him interested in fighting. Although Lytle is coming off a loss, which was undoubtedly helped along by a torn knee ligament he fought through against Brian Ebersole at UFC 127, he had arguably put together his best win streak. Wins over Brian Foster, Matt Brown and Matt Serra previously had him “in the mix” for a shot at the welterweight belt, according to UFC president Dana White.

Lytle also is known as one of the promotion’s most exciting fighters and has won a staggering eight performance bonuses.

If he put together another win streak kicked off by a decisive win over Hardy, would politics take a back seat for “Lights Out?” Would that change his goals?

“First of all, I think that would be a little lofty [expectation] on my part,” Lytle said. “Dan’s a really tough fighter; he’s doing a lot of things right now. That’s more than I’m expecting right now. I’m expecting a great fight.

“But let’s say something like that did happen. I would have to say ‘not really.'”

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